NorCal Poker Ambassador
POY ceremony starts East Bay tour
By Randall Rapp

The recent crowning of the 2008 NorCal Poker Tournament Player of the Year in Livermore at the Lucky Buck Card Club was a great experience and wonderful opportunity to chat with some of the players involved. Congratulations to the victor—Aubrey Robertson—for a job well done, and to Dale Common of the Lucky Buck for putting on tournaments that consistently bring players back for more.

My fellow publisher, Paul Giambroni, and I enjoyed a lengthy chat with Aubrey, Dale and fourth place finisher Evan Gomez. They really seemed to appreciate the POY contest and what it represents, which only made us look forward to making the 2009 points chase even bigger and better.

Of course, having to drive to the East Bay for the award presentation created the perfect opportunity for the Ambassador to make a few stops at other cardrooms in the area, to revisit some as well as check out a couple for the first time.

The Livermore Casino
Livermore

Formerly the Livermore Saloon & Casino, what was once a bar with a couple of poker tables in the back is now—at its new location—a cardroom first and foremost, with more tables, a nice bar, and an excellent players’ menu.

Upon entering, I was quickly greeted by staff and told that seats were available in both $3/6 Hold’em and $4/8 Omaha Hi-Lo. Rather than dive right into the adventure that Omaha can be, I decided to start slow and opted for the Hold’em game. Right away it was apparent that the game would be good, the dealers efficient, and the atmosphere conducive to having a good time.

While nothing spectacular was happening, pokerwise, I did get the chance to order the small pizza on their menu. The price made it a very good deal for a very tasty lunch. When it was time to move on I felt like I had made some new friends, had a great lunch, and managed to keep the bankroll intact. All in all a positive experience.

Oaks Card Club
Emeryville

Next up was a second visit to the Oaks Card Club in Emeryville. For those looking for a bigger than average room and the variety and action to match, the Oaks is a worthy choice to make. The wood décor (I’m going out on a limb and guessing it’s oak) is warm and inviting. The poker floor is recessed, giving you the feeling that you’re on stage as people watch from the elevated rail.

It didn’t take long to get a seat in their $3/6 game, but I wasn’t there long as I took the opportunity to grab a seat in a $6/12 game when it was available soon after. Their wasn’t much table talk and most of the dealers went about their business in a quiet and controlled manner. Maybe it’s because I’m not naturally gregarious myself, but I like a dealer who brings a bit of personality to the table and encourages a little communication at the table. I’m sure some people prefer it just the opposite—to each his own, as they say.

While playing, it soon became apparent that it was dinner time. I ordered the bacon cheeseburger with a Coke and wasn’t the least bit disappointed in my choice. The burger was tasty, the fries warm and crisp, the soda cool and refreshing. Just the sort of fuel to keep the poker fires burning.

Despite my best efforts at solid, rock-like poker, my chips were consistently dwindling down until I felt the need to rebuy just to have enough ammo available when things (hopefully) started to turn around. I loosened up just a little bit and pretty soon I was raking the occasional pot for a change. It took a couple of hours and at least one lucky river card, but when the time came to go I actually came out a bit ahead.

California Grand Casino
Pacheco

I got up early the next morning to head up to Pacheco and the California Grand. They only have one tournament a week—Sunday mornings at 10:00—and I was determined to get a seat. They sell out on a regular basis so I got there plenty early and waited for the start after getting my seating card.

The structure of this tournament is a little bit different than I’m used to. Most places seem to start with blinds of 25/50 and, depending on the buy-in, anywhere from 2,000 to 5,000 or more chips. Here you only got 500 in starting chips, but the blinds began at 5/10. I’m not positive, but it seems like it probably comes out about the same.

What I do know is that with levels going up every 15 minutes, you can’t wait around too long for the perfect hand. Obviously many of the other players at my table felt that way, as I saw people push all-in early on with less than top pair! When I finally got a hand worth playing (A-J) and got the jack-high flop, only to see the preflop raiser immediately push, it occurred to me that I was either a huge favorite or a huge underdog. Based on what I had seen before, and going with the “go big or go home” theory I called. Sure enough, my opponent had flopped a set and overbet the pot to look weak. Well done.

My tournament life expired, I took an open seat at their Omaha Hi-Lo table. We were short handed at the time, so I tried for a few more draws than I might normally and managed to miss pretty much every time.

After withstanding the ups and downs of Omaha I was relieved (or so I thought at the time) when they called me for $6/12 Hold’em. I looked around the table and saw some pretty impressive stacks of chips. Then I watched those players approach to the game and am still scratching my head as to how they won those chips. There were three of them that were playing a combination of the “any two cards” and “anything resembling a draw” methods. The scary thing was they were hitting second pairs and inside straights on the river over and over again. It was scary!

I should have had the sense to get off this nightmare table right away, but the way they were playing those chips just seemed ripe for the picking. Alas, they continued to hit their gutshots and backdoor flushes, so I finally hit the road to salvage what was left of the bankroll.

Nineteenth Hole
Antioch

The last time I came to Antioch to play at the Nineteenth Hole it was early on a Saturday afternoon and I discovered the hard way that they don’t start playing poker on Saturdays until 5:00 or 6:00 p.m. This time it was a Sunday at 3:00 p.m. and, sure enough, the poker action was just getting started.

They start their Sundays with a free tournament. That’s right—free. All you have to do is sign up and you’re in. The first 40 players got seats right away and everyone else was on a waiting list. Having arrived only a few minutes before they started, I was worried that, being about 40th on the wait list, I would never get in. Despite everyone being entitled to one $10 re-buy they were dropping like flies and I managed to get a seat right before the new entry and re-buy period ended.

It wasn’t long before I doubled up and was feeling pretty good. Soon we were down to three tables, then two. I still had a pretty healthy chip stack when the player on my right went all-in. I looked down to find A-Q suited, knew this was the right time, and did likewise. Everyone else folded, until the big blind, who considered the situation for quite a while (using some sort of twisted math) before deciding to call with 6-3 offsuit. That’s right—he called two all-ins with 6-3! The first guy had A-7 offsuit. I know you know how this story ends … 6-3 offsuit wins when his 6 makes a straight. What can you do? A free tournament definitely attracts the same kind of action as a play money online tournament.

After the tournament I played in their $3/6 game for a while, but I found that my heart wasn’t really in it. I was tired, not focusing on the game, and ready to head for home. After a couple of questionable plays I decided to call it quits. Thumbs up, though, to the Nineteenth Hole, their fine sports bar, and the great job done by manager Brian Klarman and all their dealers.